The Realistic Smash 4 Full-Roster Prediction

So it looks like Super Smash Bros. 4 is finally within our horizon, and it’s about this time that I get fired up about the potential roster size and list. It’s always fun to try and figure out what kind of new characters (along with returning veterans) will make the cut in the newest SSB entry. Below is the list of current veterans and newcomers joining the battle in Smash 4:

Now off the bat we have 13 characters already in the game. Most of them are iconic regulars that we’ve come to expect to appear in a Smash game. One thing that I want to address before getting into potential characters is the 3DS hardware capacity. Sakurai stated in an interview that because of the 3DS’ limited hardware the roster this time would be limited for BOTH versions, since they want the roster to be the same across platforms. This does piss me off, but I guess it’s only fair. So we don’t know what kind of limit Sakurai is talking about here, but I think it would be fair to say that we’re looking at a roster size between Melee and Brawl (Between 24 and 35). I honestly wasn’t expecting there to be a massive amount of characters anyway, since Brawl had 35 and upping the number of characters every entry will have to become too much of an ordeal at some point. So for now I’m going to pretend the number is the average between 24 and 35. 29.5…. uh ok lets round to 30. Each character I list will be backed with a reason why they’re likely to appear. I will also list the characters I think will be cut, and why.

Assuming I am correct about the roster size (30 characters), Nintendo will have to add enough newcomers to keep the game fresh, while also having a roster size with 5 less characters than Brawl. It’s going to be tough, and not everyone we saw in the last two entries is going to make it. I’m going to attempt to do this, and it’s going to make my brain split.

*Nintendo has a habit of bringing in characters that are of relevance to recently released games. I figure the trend will stay the same for Smash 4. We’ve already seen that Pit has been updated with some new moves because of his role in Kid Icarus: Uprising*

14.) Chrom (Fire Emblem Awakening)This one seems like pretty much a no-brainer. We’ve already seen Arena Ferox (Chapter 5 of Awakening) as a 3DS stage, and Chrom would be a very solid pick for Smash4 anyway. I imagine he would be somewhere inbetween Marth and Ike as far as strength goes, and closer to marth with speed. That said, I think Ike or Marth might not make the cut. Since Marth is more of a veteran, I’d say Ike has a bigger chance of getting cut.

15.) Jigglypuff (Pokemon Gen 1)Jigglypuff I think will definitely be back. She’s been in every smash brothers game and it wouldn’t make sense to suddenly exclude her. Also with Pokemon X and Y giving her normal/fairy typing, she may have some new moves, which will be exciting.

16.) Captain Falcon (F-Zero)Another veteran that is likely to return. While CF hasn’t seen an F-Zero game release for a long time, I think Nintendo knows that we still pretty much expect him to appear in smash. And look at it this way, Star Fox hasn’t had a game since 2005, and characters from that series have returned to Brawl and Smash 4 regardless.

17.) Awakened Mewtwo (Pokemon Gen 6)I think it would be absolutely perfect to bring Mewtwo back in this way. Mewtwo was cut for Lucario in Brawl, but Awakened Mewtwo from Pokemon X and Y, along with the accompanied movie will make him very much relevant again. He would definitely be lighter than Mewtwo and likely have a different movepool, but it’s such a good idea that I really think Nintendo should go through with.

18.) MarthMarth is the staple of the Fire Emblem series, only because he was the main character of its first outing. Still, Marth is a very solid and unique veteran that would be silly to exclude. With the mainstream attention to Fire Emblem as a result of Awakening’s success, I’m sure at least two Fire Emblem characters will make the cut. I have one other thing to add, but ONLY READ THE SECTION BELOW (HIGHLIGHT IT) IF YOU’VE GOTTEN AT LEAST HALFWAY THROUGH FIRE EMBLEM AWAKENING FOR THE 3DS. OR IF YOU DON’T GIVE A RATS ASS.I know it sounds crazy but, what if Lucina appears in Smash 4 instead of Marth? Lucina was disguised as Marth in the beginning of the game and was revealed about halfway through. My one concern about this is that it is indeed a spoiler for Awakening but, Lucina is a badass mofo and I would love to play as her in Smash 4. I’m trying to think of any situation where Nintendo partly spoiled a game in Super Smash Bros. If anyone can think of anything be sure to let me know in the comments below.

19.) R.O.B (Peripheral [lol])Similar to Olimar, I think ROB was a unique enough newcomer to warrant bringing him to Smash 4 as a veteran.

20.) Zelda/Shiek (Legend of Zelda Series)Nowadays you can’t have Link without Zelda/Shiek. She’ll be back for sure.

21.) Ghirahim (Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)Ghirahim is the antagonist of Loz: Skyward Sward, and he’s such a creepy and odd looking villain that he would be a great replacement for Ganondorf. Relevance is of course key here.

22.) Luigi (Super Mario Bros. Series)He’s fabled, legendary and 2013 is year of Luigi. He’ll be back. No argument here.

23.) Ridley (Metroid Prime)It’s ridiculous I know, but many fans have been protesting for this character to join the SSB ranks since Melee. For people concerned about his size, I don’t think that’s an issue. They managed to fit Bowser into tiny ass carts in Mario Kart, and while he’s big in SSB, he’s nowhere near as big as he is in Super Mario games. Ridley could be sized down similarly, and a Metroid villain would be awesome to have anyway. Wii Fit Trainer also showed us that Nintendo sure isn’t afraid to be daring.

24.) PeachPeach is an awesome character, and Nintendo loves their Mario franchise so I doubt they’ll cut anyone from that department.

25.) Falco (Star Fox Series)Falco much like Ganondorf was a clone in melee and was given a much more unique moveset in Brawl. The trend could continue into Smash 4 making Falco even more segregated. In a good way.

26.) Meta Knight (Kirby Series)Bring him back, but fix the balancing issues. If Smash 4 is supposedly a faster game than brawl, that will only make current meta knight physics even crazier.

27.) Pac-man (If you don’t know what he’s from then you probably aren’t a gamer.)Namco Bandai is developing Smash 4 (under Sakurai”s strict direction of course) this time around, and it’s likely we’ll see a Namco character. Pac Man is classic and could fit into the SSB scene pretty easily. I figure he will be a little heavier than MK and have some strong physical attacks. I remember in an interview Sakurai and the interviewer imagined Pacman’s final smash: everyone turning into ghosts and him chomping away at them.

28.) Yoshi (Super Mario Bros. Series)Yoshi is well um….a really “ok” character in SSB, but he’s been in every entry to date so I don’t think Nintendo would kick him out of this one. I don’t personally like him but this post isn’t about me. He’ll return.

29.) WarioWario was a fun character in Brawl and he has his own set of games. I think the only reason he wasn’t in Melee was because of the smaller roster.

30.) Ness (Earthbound Series)Ness is another franchise figurehead. He’ll be back for sure.

Continue to Page.2 to see what I think will happen to the remaining characters not mentioned. Closing comments to follow–>

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About the Author

Hi I'm Milin. I am 19 years old, and proud writer here at Kaboom Shark. I'm a bit of a hobbyist, engaging in various activities ranging from rock climbing, to playing musical instruments, to freelance writing. I enjoy occupying my time in the best ways, and Kaboom Shark does just that. Hit me up for a chat if you'd like, and be sure to follow me on twitter @MelonSaurus

12 Comments

I feel like they would’ve advertised Snake again if he was going to make a second appearance, but as a huge MGS fan, I’d love to see him return.

Overall an accurate roster prediction.

Milin PhillipsJuly 15, 2013 at 2:52 am -

It’s hard because there were a couple situations where I was pushing characters into the definite list strictly because i liked them. You like to imagine that your favorite characters will return, but unfortunately that’s just not going to always be a reality. I made the changes and let go of my bias. My main in brawl was Toon Link and he’s in the maybes. PK trainer is also in the maybes and i loved using him.

Joshua SeamanJuly 19, 2013 at 11:57 am -

All I need is Geno and I will be happy.

rikukey2July 20, 2013 at 11:08 am -

Id be happy if shadow the krystal was added

Joshua SeamanJuly 20, 2013 at 12:51 pm -

I wouldn’t have been surprised if Krystal was in brawl..but I highly doubt for this Smash.

Milin PhillipsJuly 24, 2013 at 2:28 am -

Krystal would have been a better pick than Wolf tbh. Her staff in Star Fox Adventures would make her a harder hitting and more unique counterpart to Fox.

SlowbrosefJuly 20, 2013 at 6:10 pm -

Super Smash Bros. Brawl Spoiled the crap out of Mother 3, by revealing lucas’ tough life which is very important in the story

Milin PhillipsJuly 24, 2013 at 2:22 am -

Thanks

Lyle EdwardsJuly 20, 2013 at 11:12 pm -

i want snake gone or changed and I want meta knight fixed and coming back and one moe thing. BRING BACK MARIOS ORIGINAL DOWN B!!!!! please

NicJuly 23, 2013 at 11:34 am -

Yes, this is realistic, but I honestly think there will be a growth in roster size. I feel the Wii U side of this game is too big to downsize just for 3DS, and I think by restrictions he just meant not as big a growth.. I’m going to guess 40 characters, with Ike, Lucas, Snake & Lucario being cut. Even though Ice Climbers are extinct, nintendo do love their nostalgic characters. Sukurai is the king of Kirby, and I feel the Kirby franchise is bigger than we think; Dedede will return. And lastly, yes, the relationship with the sonic team is too great these days. We saw 2 third parties last time, we’ll see 3 this time with Sonic returning.

Milin PhillipsJuly 24, 2013 at 2:26 am -

If you’re right about 40 characters then yeah they could probably squeeze in a 3rd outside character. I hope you’re right about 40, but I just don’t think Nintendo is gonna pull it off. They said quote on quote “We don’t have time to bring back every character”. To me that means a reduction in size, OR a similar sized roster as brawl but with a lot more newcomers.

CJSaikoro7493September 3, 2013 at 3:15 pm -

- Wolf: Personally I think Falco is more a clone of Fox than Wolf who uses more hard-hitting moves and claw attacks.
– King Dedede: Sakurai is biased towards the Kirby series.
– Lucario: I don’t think he’ll be removed as he’s relevant enough to be among the first Pokemon to be revealed with Mega Forms.
Aside from that, this list is spot on.